


Homecoming

by wafflelate



Series: Bat & Robin [4]
Category: Dreaming of Sunshine - Silver Queen
Genre: Aftermath of Committing Treason With Nara Shikako, Alternate Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Family, Friendship, Gen, No Uchiha Massacre, POV Uchiha Shisui
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:14:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22813672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wafflelate/pseuds/wafflelate
Summary: After they kill Danzō, they go home.
Relationships: Nara Shikako & Uchiha Shisui, Nara Shikako & Uchiha Shisui & Nara Family
Series: Bat & Robin [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1530206
Comments: 81
Kudos: 903
Collections: Heliocentrism — a Dreaming of Sunshine recursive collection





	1. Chapter 1

When they find Danzō, he's undergoing surgery. Two ROOT medics are bent over his arm, green-blue medical jutsu lighting up their masks as they labor to, Shisui assumes, heal the arm as quickly as possible. Danzō is wide awake, teeth grit, armed, on the lookout for another attack. 

He's also weak from blood loss and at a disadvantage from having his arm pinned down. And Shikako successfully roped _Hatake Kakashi_ into helping them. 

Well — it's not like Shisui hadn't had any kind of faith in Wolf-taichō as his ANBU captain. Just: it had been so _easy_ for Shikako to take off her mask and convince him. Shisui wouldn't have even thought to _ask_. 

Shikako kills the medics, Shisui kills the guards, and Kakashi kills Danzō. Cat-senpai, who they picked up from ANBU HQ on their way here, watches their backs in the hall. When the room is clear and Kakashi and Shikako have started to quickly work out the details of the body disposal, Shisui joins Cat-senpai in the hall in case he needs back up. 

"He's dead?" Cat-senpai asks him. Cat is masks-off right now just like the rest of them, but Shisui doesn't know his masks-off name and Cat hasn't seen fit to share. But that's okay; Shisui figures once someone follows you into high treason without any questions, whether or not you know their real name stops mattering so much. 

"Very," says Shisui. 

Cat-senpai's shoulders relax. And then they tense up again, because three ROOT agents fling themselves down the hallway, swords drawn. Shisui is ready to fight, but he doesn't get the chance; Cat does a jutsu that includes a hand sign Shisui has never seen before and then tree roots burst out of the paneled wall of the underground hallway, wrap around the ROOT agents, and drag them through the panelling and out of sight. 

"Holy shit," Shisui says. "Holy _shit_." 

There's a _fwoosh_ from the room behind them, an intense wave of heat, and a sudden increase in dramatic lighting. Shikako's suggestions of incineration must have won out, then. Shikako takes point on their way out of the long, twisting subterranean tunnels and they emerge from a different place than where they entered, sneaking through the basement of a grocery in the market district and pausing in the alleyway before they hit the street to regroup. 

"That went much better than I expected," Kakashi says idly. From previous experience, Shisui knows he means, _I can't believe we didn't just all die_. 

"Could've done it sooner." Shikako sounds frustrated about it. It's the same tone she uses when she thinks something has been inefficient. Or when Plan A works and she doesn't have to use any of her ludicrous backup plans. 

"Well, that'll teach you to ask for help!" Kakashi says cheerfully. He pats her on the head. "We haven't quite gotten away with it yet." 

"Yeah," Shikako says. Her face sets in that way it has when she's thinking through a problem thirty levels deep, unfolding scenarios and exploring options. The plan she comes up with is: "Shisui should come to dinner with me." 

"Excellent choice," Kakashi says. "Tenzō and I will go get drunk." 

Shisui shares a look with Cat — _Tenzō_ — who looks just as confused and alarmed as Shisui feels. But Shisui trusts Shikako, and he trusts Kakashi, and _he_ certainly doesn't know what to do, so he follows Shikako without protest. 

They go to the nearest ANBU training station, where they change into clean clothes that don't advertise them as members of a black ops division. Shikako puts two sets of earrings in and redoes her hair. She smiles at him, and Shisui struggles to return it. Today has been a good day, on the whole, but his heart is still hammering in his chest and his emotions are still a little out of touch. Nothing has sunk in yet. 

"Where are we having dinner?" Shisui asks, since they certainly don't seem to be headed to the ANBU canteen. Maybe they're picking up takeout. Or maybe that was code for something else and Shisui's just had such a long day he hasn't caught up yet. 

Shikako blinks at him. "My house." 

Shisui...hesitates. "So...I'll meet you there?" he hazards. "Or, at the Nara gates?" He can get across the village undetected, but he doesn't really want to sneak on clan grounds. And it's probably fine for her clan to see them together. 

She sighs. "No," she says. "We're just going to go together." 

And they do. They walk side by side down the streets of Konoha. They don't talk — Shikako has her thinking face on — but Shisui probably couldn't hold a full conversation anyway. 

Honestly he has no idea what's going on. 

He's kind of just feeling lucky to be alive. 

He's glad Shikako has the time and inclination to guide him through the rest of the day because otherwise he's not sure what he'd do. 

It doesn't really sink in that Shikako's dad is also _the Jōnin Commander_ until they've passed through the Nara gates and are approaching the Nara main house. 

Shisui slows down gradually until he stops. "Maybe I should go home." The clan does need to know about the attempted bloodline theft, even though Shisui is uncertain of his ability to contain the inevitable fallout. 

Shikako turns around and looks at him thoughtfully. She's standing well out of arms' reach. She keeps her shoulders relaxed and her hands at her side. 

Okay, Shisui is maybe showing some obvious signs of stress. It's been that kind of day. He hasn't even seen Shikako since she jumped at extra training and disappeared into ROOT, and he's reevaluated everything he knows about her no less than twice today already. It would just be so nice to go back to the clan, where nothing could surprise him. 

"I really think you shouldn't yet," Shikako says carefully. "I don't want this to escalate any further and neither do you, right?" 

Shisui nods. 

"But," Shikako continues, "it wouldn't hurt to let someone know where you are. If that would make you feel better. You have summons, right?" 

Shisui does. Crow summons. The summoning jutsu takes only a moment, and then Kansoku is perched on his arm, wings fluttering just a little for balance as he settles. 

"Hey kid," Kansoku says. He looks around, and definitely notices that they're in another clan's compound, but doesn't ask any questions. 

When his eyes land on Shikako, she waves at him. He flutters a wing back. Then he looks at Shisui for orders. 

What Shisui wants more than anything is for dinner to _not_ be interrupted by an enraged rescue party, so he chooses his words carefully when he says, "I need you to fly home and tell Uzume-ba or whoever's around that I'm...having dinner at the Jōnin Commander's house. Nara Shikako invited me." 

Kansoku studies him for a moment, like he thinks Shisui might have something to add, but Shisui doesn't. "Sure thing," Kansoku says. He takes to wing with some assistance from Shisui and wheels away towards the Uchiha compound. 

Shisui follows Shikako into her house. She announces that she's home and they both start removing their shoes. 

A woman who must be Shikako's mother comes to greet her and is obviously startled by Shisui's presence. She looks confused but not worried or uncomfortable when she notices Shisui, and she looks so much like Shikako that Shisui instantly wants her to like him. 

Shisui realizes he's come to her house empty-handed. He should have insisted they stop somewhere — a bakery or sweet shop. Too late now. 

Shikako provides quick introductions that don't include how she and Shisui know each other. "I was thinking he could have dinner with us...?" she finishes, with a sheepish smile. 

Nara Yoshino nods. "We'd love to have you," she says to Shisui, warmly, and she beckons the both of them into the house. 

It's kind of surreal. 

Shisui has always kind of assumed Shikako's family would take issue if they were seen together. 

Instead there's comfortable seating on the porch and cups of tea and long shadows cast over the Nara's informal garden. Yoshino has to start dinner, so Shisui and Shikako are alone for about ten minutes. During which Shisui learns that, actually, he has no idea how to play shogi, it turns out. 

They'd discussed it in the academy, he thinks. They'd spent a day playing it. Or maybe that had been go? Either way, that had been a long time ago now, and Uzume-ba was more into card games and dice. 

"Sorry," he says, when he has to admit he actually doesn't know what he's doing. He'd agreed to play without thinking it through, eager to please. A stupid impulse; he and Shikako committed treason together less than an hour ago. _She_ commited treason _for him_. She probably likes him already. 

"I'll teach you," she says. 

They've just finished setting the board back to rights when a young boy's voice calls a greeting from the entryway. A few moments later a boy who must be Shikako's younger brother exits the house and makes a bee line for the shoji board. He's Sasuke's age — he might even be in Sasuke's class? — and he looks _just_ like the Jōnin Commander. Shisui might be having heart palpitations. 

"You're here," the boy points out. His eyes flick towards Shisui and then back to Shikako. "You said we'd play." This is said half like an accusation and half like an announcement, like he's challenging Shikako to try and get out of it. 

"Impatient," Shikako chides, but she switches her seat from sitting across from Shisui to sitting next to him. "This is Uchiha Shisui," she adds, once her brother has sat down across from them. "Shisui, this is my brother, Shikamaru." 

"Usually only Chōji comes over for dinner," Shikamaru observes. Asking a question without _really_ asking a question. 

"This is like that." 

"No, it's not. Chōji is my best friend." 

"Hm," Shikako says. And then she changes the topic of conversation by starting the game of shogi, which quickly wraps Shikamaru up in strategizing and Shisui up in trying to follow the game. 

For the first time, Shisui wonders who Shikako's best friend is. Someone he's never met, probably. A Yamanaka, maybe. 

He puts it out of his mind and watches Shikako slowly lose to Shikamaru instead while slowly drawing him into explaining more and more of the game. At first Shisui thinks Shikako is losing on purpose, but it rapidly becomes clear that, actually, Shikamaru is just _that good_. 

"He takes after Dad," Shikako says dryly when the game is over. "I stopped being able to beat him when he was like six." She gives a long, comfortable-looking stretch. Shisui's never seen her so relaxed. 

"If you were ever home," Shikamaru grumbles, "then you'd beat me just as much as always." 

"I doubt that," Shikako says idly. "But we'll see if you're right. I think it's about time for a career change." 

Shikamaru perks up. "Really? Are you going to work for Kofuku-oba?" 

"We'll see." Shikako uses that tone of voice she has that means _no_. "I'm definitely due a round of in-village rotation. Shisui, too." 

Shisui isn't, actually. Or at least he hopes not. The village isn't likely to give him any work and the clan _really_ needs the money from his missions. Uchiha haven't usually benefited from the 9-months-on 3-months-off rotation schedule, historically, anyway. 

Communication with the village has maybe always been bad. 

"Dad's home," Shikako announces suddenly. She stands up and makes her way indoors. Moments later the door opens. She and her father start talking in hushed tones that Shisui can't make out — not unless he wants to try Shikako's trick of focusing chakra in his ears to enhance his hearing, and Shikako would be able to sense that and know he was trying to eavesdrop. It's not worth it. 

Shikamaru gets up and follows his sister at a much more sedate pace. Shisui stands, but can't bring himself to leave the engawa. He doesn't actually know why he's here, but he doubts it's actually for dinner. Hopefully it's not going to be any more stressful than anything else that's happened today. 

Nara Shikaku comes to him. He's clearly fresh off a long day at the office, but he's sharp-eyed and steel spined. "Shikamaru's going to help my wife with dinner," he says. "Why don't the two of you join me in my office?" 

It's not, obviously, a request. It's an order. They go to Shikaku's ground-floor home office and Shisui finds himself standing there straight-backed, arms at his side where they won't shake. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Here's a little about what I'm up to lately:
> 
>   * If you're reading this right when I posted, I'm co-modding a Gen Freeform Exchange that's in nominations for the next 24ish hours. [Info here!](https://genfreeformexchange.dreamwidth.org/886.html)
>   * If you're reading this pretty soon after I posted it, I want you to know that I've signed up for two charity auctions! Basically, you can donate money to charity and in return get a 5-10k DoS fic written by me as a gift. [Info here!](https://wafflelate.tumblr.com/post/190889027933/charity-fanworks-auctions) Bidding runs Feb 24 through Feb 28 for one and 23 Feb through 29 Feb for the other. 
>   * Also, maybe you're looking for a place to talk about DoS! Consider my Discord server, [Heliocentrism](https://discord.gg/rCtwMQG).
> 

> 
> The next part of this will probably be up around February 23/24th to remind you about the auctions because I am shameless for charity.


	2. Chapter 2

They're reporting in. 

They're reporting in _about their treason_. 

"Sit down," Shikaku orders. 

Shisui's so nervous he briefly considers sitting down on the floor right where he's standing, but Shikako nudges him towards the couch pressed against the back wall of the room. It's across from the desk. Shikaku pulls out the chair and turns it around so he can sit facing them. He also touches a certain part of his desk and an electric shivver crawls across the room — a privacy seal. 

Shikaku looks at his daughter. Studies her. "Are you hurt?" 

"Shisui should see a medic that we trust after dinner. But we should be okay." 

Shisui's sure that Shikako put his eye back in just fine (it _works_ after all) and doesn't care to be shipped off to the hospital at any point in the near future. He's going straight home when they're done here, assuming he's not arrested or otherwise detained for questioning. Also it's weird — but kind of nice — for Shikako to answer like she and Shisui are a package deal. Shisui is _pretty_ sure that Shikaku was just asking about Shikako; being asked if he's hurt has never been a part of any of Shisui's debriefings. 

But Shikaku nods, like he's taking a mental note. Like he's going to go out of his way to find a specific medic nin for Shisui — a ridiculous thought. "What problem do you need my help with?" he asks. 

"Well," Shikako says delicately, "Shisui and I were on Nara grounds all afternoon, weren't we?" 

"Of course. You fed the deer," Shikaku says, like this is common knowledge. "Yoshino was telling me that they like Shisui." He definitely has not had time to so much as say hello to his wife. 

Shisui is being _alibied_ by _the Jōnin Commander_. 

"And," Shikako adds, "if anyone saw us coming here through the village right before dinner...?" 

"You were at Hironobu's picking up the desserts Yoshino ordered," Shikaku provides smoothly. 

"Good," Shikako sits back against the couch, apparently satisfied. 

Not sounding as if he particularly cares about the answer, Shikaku asks, "Does this have anything to do with the fire that broke out in the sewer and power maintenance tunnels?" 

Shikako shrugs noncommittally. "Did you find a body?" 

"No." 

"Then I guess not." Shikako drags her feet up off the floor and puts them on the couch. She hugs her legs to her chest. "Okay, ask." 

"Who died?" 

Shikako leans her head forward until her face rests against her knees. "Shimura Danzō." 

A lesser man — a less controlled ninja, someone prone to emotional reactions over careful calculation — would leap from their seat upon hearing someone say that sort of thing, like an instinctual fight-or-flight response. But Nara Shikaku just blinks slowly, takes in a breath a little more noticeably than usual. "Tell me what happened," he orders. 

Shikako straightens up a little — a _miniscule_ amount — and provides a barebones outline of what happened. This in and of itself is an act of treason, as they're not supposed to discuss ANBU activities and they're _really_ not supposed to discuss ROOT activities, but they're beyond concerns like that at this point. She and her father focus on purely practical matters: who was involved, how did he die, how likely is it that someone will find remains. 

He doesn't ask Shikako why. 

He doesn't ask Shisui anything at all. 

By the end of it Shikaku is leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, his chin propped up on interlaced fingers. "I see why you need the alibi." 

"If it comes down to it, no one will believe the Uchiha if they say Shisui was in the compound," Shikako says. 

It's true. The clan's account of its members' locations and activities on the day of the Kyūbi's attack and the Yondaime's death has long been scrutinized and discounted. Recently, any KMP officer's word about their fellow Uchiha has been outright thrown out both in the court of public opinion and in the official proceedings of the village. When Shisui had been thinking about going home earlier, he hadn't been thinking about an alibi. He'd wanted to go home and see Uzume-ba and tell her what happened in his own words before the rest of the village caught up with what he'd done. 

"People will wonder why I was even invited." The Nara have had basically nothing to do with the Uchiha, after all. Shikako has in fact pointedly had nothing publicly to do with him since they entered ANBU, and even before then they only interacted on missions. 

Shikaku says, "It's traditional for our long term mission partners to be familiar with our clan. Given the incident earlier this year, you're long overdue." 

Shisui glances down at the floor. He looks at it very studiously. It's polished wood, glossy and smooth. It was probably installed when the house was built. When the Nara moved into the village. 

He would very much like to keep taking missions with Shikako, in or out of ANBU, but he doesn't imagine that that's likely to happen if Nara Shikaku is bringing up the terrifying jutsu backfire Shikako had gone through after their mission to Land of Lightning. Shisui has never been so terrified for her as he had been for that 24 hour period between Shikako using her clan's jutsu and Shisui sending her off with Kakashi to get help from her clan. She had been empty and pliable and he hadn't been able to help _at all_. And of course Shikaku knows, because of course Shikako told him even if Kakashi didn't. 

"Shisui will have to come over a few more times at least." Shikako says it like that won't be a monumental shift in village politics. 

For some reason, Shikaku nods like this is a reasonable course of action he intends to really follow through with. 

There's a knock on the door. "Don't make us eat without you," Yoshino threatens through the door. 

Shikaku calls back, "We'd never!" and stands. A brush of his hand over the security seal on his desk deactivates it. "Tell her I'll be right there," Shikaku says, already bending over a fresh sheet of paper. 

Shisui has perhaps never been so glad to leave a room in his life. He doesn't want to be in the room to see Nara Shikaku's reaction to the news that bloodline theft had motivated Shikako. He might not feel as strongly as his daughter feels. He might blame Shisui for his daughter being in trouble. Of course, all of that might happen without Shisui in the room — but it will be more tolerable if Shisui doesn't have to look the Jōnin Commander in the face while the news is delivered. 

He and Shikako sit down at the table with Yoshino and Shikamaru, and join in on the small talk about the Academy. Shikamaru has several teachers who weren't there when Shisui and Shikako attended, because many of the war time teachers had only been teaching while on medical leave from the general forces. Those that could go back to running regular missions or find other positions in the village had, and those that couldn't had mostly permanently retired. 

Teaching Academy children isn't exactly a prestigious posting. 

"It should be," Shikako asserts. She doesn't elaborate, but only because Shikaku finally joins them at the table, interrupting the no-doubt comprehensive criticism of the current state of academics that Shikako had been about to unleash. 

Too bad, because Shisui would love to hear it. Maybe later. Yoshino turns the conversation to an upcoming festival, while Shikaku slips Shikako a scroll on heavy, fine-quality paper and muttering instructions to her that Shisui doesn't catch. 

The rest of dinner is utterly domestic, right up until the tail end when a chūnin from the Tower comes to beckon Shikaku back to work. 

Shikaku kisses his wife. He pats his children on the head. He rests a hand briefly on Shisui's shoulder. "Sorry to cut this short," he says. "You'll have to come back soon." He leaves. 

"I should really get home," Shisui says. He glances at Shikako, wondering if she'll stop him. If she thinks it's safe yet. 

She nods at him like she was thinking the same thing. "I'll walk there with you," she says, and wiggles the scroll at him. It has a glossy wax seal on it embossed with the Nara crest. Some kind of official missive from Shikaku. An official missive from the Nara clan head to the Uchiha. 

It's probably something _good_. Hopefully. Things had seemed mostly positive, and Shikaku can't incriminate Shisui without incriminating his own daughter. And Shikako seems really, really confident of his support. 

"It was so nice to meet you," Yoshino says. "Wasn't it, Shikamaru?" 

Shikamaru shrugs. 

Yoshino nudges him with her foot under the table. 

Shikamaru gives a _big_ belaboured sigh. "Yes, it was great," he says. Then he tacks on, "As long as you stop stealing my sister from me." 

" _Shikamaru_ ," Yoshino groans, half caught between scandalized and amused. 

Shisui laughs. "No promises." 

Shikako will do what Shikako wants, after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Here's a little update from last time:
> 
>   * The Gen Freeform Exchange is in sign ups until March 5th. [Info here!](https://genfreeformexchange.dreamwidth.org/)
>   * Both of the charity auctions I'm participating in are open for bidding! Basically, you can donate money to charity and in return get a 5-10k DoS fic written by me as a gift. [One runs until the 28th and one runs until the 29th but there's probably some funky time zone stuff there for some of you so please check out this info and the count down links provided!](https://wafflelate.tumblr.com/post/610912006644596736/charity-fanworks-auctions)
>   * Also, maybe you're looking for a place to talk about DoS! Consider my Discord server, [Heliocentrism](https://discord.gg/rCtwMQG).
> 

> 
> I'm not sure when the next part of this will be out but I do have two more scenes I want to get to!


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